{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/qanda-beef_biofuels", "Q&A: Beef & Biofuels", "2026-09-04", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "IA", "Chuck Grassley", "G000386", "www.grassley.senate.gov", "grassley", "https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases", "scraper", "UPDATE: Grassley welcomes Trump administration actions to support American beef producers\n\nLearn more HERE.\n\nQ: What can be done to help cattle producers grow their herds?\n\nA: Americans consume approximately 59 pounds of beef per person each year, a testament to this high-quality source of iron-and-protein-rich food known for its mouth-watering, nutritional value. In 2024, U.S. cattle production represented about 22 percent of the $515 billion in total cash receipts for agricultural commodities. During my annual county meetings, I\u2019ve discussed the hardship cattle farmers are facing to build back their herds and get a fair shake in the marketplace. I\u2019m glad U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche accepted my invitation to come to the Iowa State Fair and hear directly from Iowa farmers \u2013 who are among the two percent of the population raising food for the other 98 percent of the U.S. population \u2013 and feeling squeezed out of their livelihoods from anticompetitive practices of the Big Four meatpackers. During his confirmation hearing in July, I called upon the Attorney General to commit to enforcing federal competition laws with particular attention to the cattle markets.\n\nAmerica\u2019s cattle herd is at its lowest in about 75 years and still contracting after producers culled cow-calf operations due to natural disasters and other market conditions, including restrictions to mitigate the spread of New World Screwworm in the United States. It takes time to rebuild the cattle herd. I\u2019m working to ensure supply meets demand by supporting our domestic cattle markets and pushing the Trump administration to put America\u2019s cattle farmers and ranchers first. For example, I\u2019m sponsoring bipartisan legislation to look into the economic impact of livestock market consolidation on cattle producers and consumers. Cattle farmers sometimes earn pennies on the dollar in a marketplace where just four companies control 85% of the market. Farmers get less, and families pay more at the grocery store. That\u2019s why I\u2019m also sponsoring a bill to beef up enforcement of anticompetitive practices in the consolidated meatpacking industry. Most recently, I joined a letter calling upon the USDA and U.S. Department of Interior to keep working to expand grazing access for livestock producers and strengthen risk management tools that protect cattle producers from market volatility. I also joined a bicameral letter with more than 50 farm state lawmakers urging President Trump to build on his administration\u2019s successes with Australia and the United Kingdom to expand market access for high-quality, American-grown beef. Such trade agreements drive confidence in the market, giving cattle producers more certainty to expand and invest in rebuilding their herds.\n\nQ: How are you working to strengthen Iowa biofuels?", 1, "2026-09-05T08:49:07Z", "2026-09-05T08:50:44Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/qanda-beef_biofuels"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7094481736421585, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}